"The beauty about the sport of being a street rodder is the
love of all the cars, of course," said Kennedy, the special events director of
the National Street Rod Association. "Whether it is something that you've
always wanted and never did have or reminiscing of your younger days, whatever
the case might be, every one of us that are involved in the National Street Rod
Association are car people ourselves."

As a proud owner of a 1932 Ford Roadster and a 1933 Ford
Tudor, he said he looks forward to national events he organizes to see old
friends from as far away as Washington state.

"People often ask the question what is a street rodder. They
literally represent all walks of life," said Kennedy, who is in his 27th
year with the NSRA. "People come down here, put away the uniforms they might
wear during the week or their business attire to don blue jeans, t-shirts,
tennis shoes, jump in something as noisy as the one that went by, and they come
down here for a good time."

More than 2,500 street rods, muscle cars, customs and specialty
vehicles from all over the country trekked to Kalamazoo County's Expo Center
& Fairgrounds Friday for the start of the 34th annual Street Rod Nationals
North Plus. The show continues until Sunday.

The vintage cars featured shimmering chrome, detailed paint
jobs and most include modern safety and comfort features including disc brakes,
air conditioning, tilt steering, cruise control and more.

Many cars in attendance hold values ranging from $10,000 to
$35,000 with a combined value of over $70 million dollars in attendance.

To most participants and event attendees, the weekend is a
celebration of car culture and nostalgia.

"There wasn't the pressure of life back then because you
didn't have as many exit doors per se to go out and do things," said 1965 high
school graduate Ed Williams of Fremont, Ohio, who owns a 1969 Chevrolet C-10.
"It's not so dog-eat-dog like it is today as far as job markets and no jobs and
the economy."

Cars will be on display for public viewing while entered
into a variety of events including Streets of Rods, 29 Below Rodders, Pro's
Picks, and NSRA Safety Inspections.

Other featured events for the public include a "Women's
World" section displaying arts and crafts from area artisans, a trade show
featuring over 125 manufacturers and dealers of specialty automotive equipment
and a Vintage Parts Swap Meet offering used and/or old original automotive
parts for sale.

Special live entertainment, Sunday rodders worship service and
food round out the weekend.